Ten Exotic Spiders

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I hope all of you will agree with me that spiders are creepy and weird. It’s not that I am scared of spiders; it’s just that they freak me out. I look at them and it feels as if they are crawling on me and it gets really freaky when a second ago you see a spider and later you can’t find it at all. We are aware of certain kinds of spiders and even though I said I hate them, I think some of them are pretty cool for example, the black widow or the daddy long-legs. Anyway, this article talks about some of the weirdest spiders that you probably were not aware of. Some of these are quite scary looking but one of them is rather cute. I leave it to you guys to figure out which one I am talking about.

BIRD DUNG CRAB SPIDER

This spider is covered with warts and blobs that gives it an appearance of a bird-dropping which is why the name. It would produce white silk and sit on it so as to look exactly like bird dung. Interestingly, this guy even smells like dung. This camouflage serves as defense and it also lures in smaller insects that are attracted by the smell. You can find these spiders in Asia.

ARGYRODES COLUBRINUS

This guy is more commonly known as the Whip Spider. The Whip Spider is found in Australia. They have a long, thin abdomen and its overall appearance serves as a camouflage. It looks like a twig, so mostly the predators don’t realize its presence. Interestingly enough, this guy belongs to the family of the Black Widow. It is still not known exactly how potent its poison is, but since it is in the Widow’s family, I suggest you to stay away from this boy right here.

SCORPION-TAILED SPIDER

These are named so because their female has a tail that is similar to a scorpion. First of all, it is absolutely weird for a spider to have a tail. If this spider is threatened they go into a scorpion-like stance and arch the tail. They have been found harmless and are said to exist mostly in Australia. They are found to live in colonies and they spin circular webs.

BAGHEERA KIPLINGI

This guy has been named after the famous Black Panther in The Jungle Book, Bagheera. Reason being that this guy is supremely fast considering it’s just a spider. Funny thing though, is that this guy is almost completely a vegetarian; there goes all that speed to waste. The reason they were given the agility was perhaps to be used in making an escape. If it comes down to it, they feed on larvae and even other Bagheeras.

ASSASSIN SPIDER

This one is found in Madagascar and different parts of Australia and Africa. They have long necks which can support heavy weights and big jaws so they can mostly feed on bigger stuff as well. They usually feed on spiders (cannibalism) which is why the name ‘assassin’ goes to this one. They are completely harmless to us humans so nothing to worry about there. Some say that these spiders have survived from the era of the dinosaurs which I think is pretty cool if true.

ARGYRONETA AQUATICA

I am going to be straight here and tell you that I absolutely love this name. It is usually known as the Water Spider or the Diving Bell Spider and can be found in Europe and Asia. It lives in ponds or lakes or a place with water. It creates a silk bell and let it fill with air and spends most of the time inside. It feeds on aquatic species; anything that can be captured. Mostly the diet consists of water striders and many different forms of larvae. It also eats tadpoles and small fishes.

SPINY ORB WEAVER

These guys might look really dangerous but are in fact quite harmless and can be found all over the world. Their species are still under discovery and so far seventy different species have been found. You have to admit that these are some pretty cool looking spiders. They add small silk flags to their webs which makes the webs more visible to the insects which then stay clear of the web. I wonder why it would do that.

MARATUS VOLANS

This one is Australian specie of spiders. It is known as the peacock spider. It uses the tactics of a peacock to get the attention of the female counterpart. It raises the colorful flap sort of thing on its back just like a male peacock would do. It vibrates its hind legs to give it a rather dramatic effect too. This particular spider can easily jump large distances.

MYRMARACHNE PLATALEOIDES

This spider is an example of Batesian mimicry. It can disguise itself when in danger. It can appear to be another dangerous insect for example in most cases it would disguise itself as a weaver ant. It is a feared insect in the wild because of its painful bite so chances that are by changing into a weaver ant it can save its life. This poor thing is actually really harmless and would usually run away at the slightest hint of danger. Myrmarachne Plataleoides can be found in India, China and South Eastern Asia.

HAPPY FACE SPIDER

This particular spider is related to the infamous Black Widow; God that spider is cool. This can with a smiling face can be found in the rainforests of Hawaii. Over there it is also known as Nananana makak’i. That’s what I will name my son. You are familiar with the red pattern on the back of a Black Widow I assume, if not I suggest you check it out right now. This one also has a red pattern and it resembles a smiley face which might make the spider seem cute but it still is a spider; it can hurt you. Unfortunately, this guy is endangered so if you ever see one, please don’t kill it.